Resilient vehicle wheel



Filed March 9, 1926 INVENTOR. fi/dgway M (rare/2- AT RNEYS.

--ill tended functions.

Patented Nov. 29, 1927.

usirsn srar-Es PATENT oiFF cE.

RID GWAY M. CRAVENS, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

RESILIENT VEHICLE WHEEL.

Application filed March 9, 1926. Serial No..;93',4i9.

iency will absorb road shocks and vibration withoutrelying upon the resiliency ot the tire in the fulfillment of its function.

The wheel of this invention unusually simple in'construction, but, in practice, it is highly efficient in'the performance ot its in The parts are such that they will not'be aptto. get out'ot' order and the wheel will function indefinitely'in a thoroughly, efiicient, practical and economical manner.

Features of the invention,xotl1er than those specified, will be apparent from the herein alter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accon'ipanying drawings.

The accompanying drawingillustrates one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown isto be understoodas illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 showsthc wheel of the present invention partly in side elevation and partly insectionon the line l1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1. I

Referring to the d "awings, 1 designates the hub or the wheel. On this hub is iitted a sleeve 2 which is provided at spaced intervals about its outer periphery with lugs 3, to which are pivoted pistonst. Each of the pistons projects into a cylinder 5 and each of these cylinders is provided at its closed end with a boss 6 to receive a pin 7 which is secured to the ring 8 which may be re ierred to asthe cylinder ring.

The ringS is tightly clainpedbetween two annulardiscs 10, the outer peripheries of which carry the telly or riinll of the Wheel, while the inner peripheries are inwardly curled or rolled as shown at 9. The ring 8 serves to space the discs 10 apart and said discs are secured to one another adjacent therefrom.

inder head jand-p'iston at all ISt-theflmd pressure in the cylinder insup tion to the cylinders andconstitute :stops therefor as will be hereinafter more fully explained. i

Secured to the opposite sides of the wheel atjthe hub thereof are discs L-Lt 0t sufiir cient radius to overlap the inner inarginsot .tneiannular discslO. These discs lei which maybe termed supplemental Jdiscs serve to enclose the working parts of the wheel and exclude dust or other extraneous matter The outer margins of the discs 1e; bear against the inner margins of the discs 10 and are held in this position in any suitable manner.

To minimize friction,the discs 14 are provided on their inner faces and near their outer peripheries "with annular ribs 1? adapted to bear against the outer faces of the discs 10. The ribs 13 are preferably undercut at thelr inner and outer peripheries facilitate the attachment of any antitriction naterial if desired.

The disks '14; are secured to the hulror sleeve in any suitable manner to .cause the ribs of the supplemental disks to be main tained at all times against theannulfar disks.

hen the wheel oitthe characterdescribed in place on the vehicle axle, the weight will be carried by the respective pistons. In

practice, air escapeopenings are provided near the base of each cylinder to permit or a of the hub at such time, I position within each cylinder a spring 21. These springs are suiiiciently long to engage with the cylporting the weight of the car. while the wheel is rolling. These are springs which, moreover, are sufliciently strong to actually support the weight of the car-without undue sagging ofthe axle, whilethe car is at rest, and in the event that the pressure is exhausted from the cylinders.

I thus provide a combined pneumatic and spring cushioned piston, the fluid pressure and the spring cooperatingto: produce very nines andto aseasy riding qualities and serving to absorb shocks and Jars which would otherwise be transmitted to the axle.

When the wheel is running free, i. e., when it is-used for a front wneel. of a motor vehicle, the pistons and cylinders will extend at all times in a truly radial direction. If the wheel is, however, used as a driving wheel, or if it is braked, there is a tendency of the hub to run away from the rim or the rim to run away. from the hub. In either to uneven transmission of power to the hub from the prime mover of the vehicle, even though the transmission of power he unsteady, the fluctuations thereof will be, in effect, smoothed out while being transmitted to the rim of the wheel through the pistons and cylinders to which I have referred;

It will be noted from Fig. 2 in particular that the curled edges 9 of the discs 10 are positioned relatively close to the cylinders 5. The purpose of this construction is to adequately provide for lateral stability of the wheel, it being apparent that if lateral stresses are imposed on the wheel one or the other of the curled edges 9 will engage with the cylinders 5 and so efficiently support the wheel against the stresses imposed thereon that collapsing of the structure cannot possibly occur. Moreover, the structure is such that undue strains cannot be imparted thereto.

The operating parts of the wheel may be lubricated in any suitable manner, such, for example, as illustrated'in detail in my copending application, Ser. No. 93,441, and T have not considered it necessary to detail the lubricating of the parts in the drawings of this case.

The foregoing detailed description sets .torth the invention in its preferred practical form but the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: A i

1. A resilient wheel embodying a hub, a rim, spaced apart coaxial annular discs secured at their outer peripheries to the rim and extending toward the hub and termina ing short of the hub, a ring positioned between and rigidly secured to the discs intermediate their inner and outer peripheries to space them apart thereat, a plurality of cylinders pivotally secured to said ring and eat tending in an inward radial direction, means for securing the annular discs to one another at their inner peripheries and intermediate successive cylinders, a plurality of pistons extending into the cylinders and pivotally associated with the hub, and a pair of supplemental discs positioned exteriorly of the annular discs with the outer marginal portions of the supplemental discs bearing against the inner marginal portions of the annular discs to cover and conceal the interior operating parts of the wheel.

2. A resilient vehicle wheel embodying a a hub, a rim, spaced apart annular discs secured at their outer peripheries to the rim and provided at their inner peripheries with inturned stop flanges spaced from the hub, a ring positioned between and rigidly secured to said discsintermediate their inner and outer peripheries, a plurality of cylinders pivotally secured to the ring and extending in inward radial directions and in relatively close proximity to the limiting flanges of said discs, said flanges serving to engage with the cylinders to impart lateral stability to the wheel when it is subjected to lateral stresses, and a plurality of pistons pivotally associated with the hub and extending into said cylinders.

3. A resilient vehicle wheel embodying a hub, a rim, spaced apart annular discs secured at their outer peripheries to the rim and provided at their inner peripheries with inturned stop flanges spaced from the hub, a ring pisitioned between and rigidly secured to said discs intermediate their inner and outer peripheries, a plurality of cylinders pivotally secured to the ring and extending in inward radial directions and in relatively close proximity to the limiting flanges of said discs, said flanges serving to engage with the cylinders to impart lateral stability to the wheel when it is subjected to lateral stresses, a plurality of pistons pivotally associated with the hub and extending into said cylinders, tie rods for securing the inner peripheries of said discs to one another, said rods being positioned intermediate the successivecylind-ers and adapted to be engaged thereby to preclude pivotal movement of the cylinders beyond predetermined limits in the plane of the wheel.

-l-. A. resilient vehicle wheel embodying a hub, a rim, spaced apart annular discs se cured. at their outer peripheries to the rim and provided at their inner peripheries with inturned stop flanges spaced from the hub, a ring positioned between and rigidly secured to said discs intermediate their inner and outer peripheries, a plurality of cylinders pivotally secured to the ring and extending in inward radial directions and in relatively close proximity to the limiting flanges of said discs, said flanges serving to engage with the cylinders to impart lateral stability to the wheel when it is subjected to lateral stresses, a plurality of pistons pivotally associated With the hub and extending into said cylinders, tie rods for securing the inner pecylinders beyond predetermined limits in the plane of the Wheel, supplemental discs se- 10 cured to the hub With their outer margins bearing agamst the inner margins of the annular discs to enclose and conceal the operating parts of the Wheel.

RIDGWAY M. GRAVENS. 

